Alexander went to his bathroom and took a quick bath to get rid of the repulsive smell of blood, then changed into a clean sleeping robe.
He remembered telling Anna to prepare herself tonight. Though he was tired, he still had some energy to spare for the entertainment of his enemy's daughter. Upon reaching there, he was surprised to see an empty room. The light was still on, but there was no sign of Anna. She didn't escape, did she?
He moved closer to the bed, only to find her whole body tucked inside the blanket. If it wasn't for her strand of white hair that was laying on the pillow, he would have thought she wasn't there. She was so small and skinny, even a starved servant had more flesh than her.
He grabbed the blanket and slowly removed it. Her body moved gently, as she breathed, indicating that she was still alive, which was a good thing because he hadn't started yet.
Soon, she stirred in her sleep, then slowly opened her eyes. She blinked several times and rubbed her eyes, still unaware of his presence, she put her arms over her head and stretched. Halfway through the stretch, she took notice of him and froze in place. Once she came out of her state of shock, she quickly sat up.
"Good… Good m…"
"Take off your clothes and spread your legs," he interrupted.
"What… what?"
"You have ten seconds."
He didn't care if she was fully awake or not. If she obediently complied, he would do it painlessly and leave, otherwise, she had herself to blame.
Ten seconds gone, now it was two minutes. She was still sitting on the bed looking lost, or perhaps she was playing with him.
Anger boiled inside of him. He harshly pushed her back and pinned her to the bed. This time, he didn't rip her dress. He simply removed her hands from the dress and buddled everything on her stomach to cover her scar. The sight of it repulsed him.
Now that she was almost naked, Alexander's eyes turned slightly darker, not out of lust, but rage.
He hated it when she disregarded him. She was in no position to do that. He was supposed to show her through the hell her father made him go through, yet he was lenient. He thought that as long as she didn't defy him, he wouldn't have to make her suffer. But it was like she wanted to suffer.
She jolted when he tore off her panties and gripped her thighs roughly. Alexander could tell she was screaming and crying inside of her, but tried to stay still on the outside and let things happen.
However, that changed as soon as he started to touch her opening. She bit her lips as tears flowed down the corner of her eyes. But her tears had no effect on him, in fact he touched her even more roughly.
"No…" She tried to wriggle her body to get away from him, but he grabbed her hips firmly and didn't let her go anywhere, causing her to whimper in pain.
He needed to go straight to the point. He needed to make her feel the actual pain and hear the sound of her screaming and crying. That would be very satisfying.
He took off his robe, then spread her legs wider and positioned himself in between her laps.
"No! Please! Stop!" She cried. Those were the exact same line he said to the gang members each time they tried to rape him. But they only laughed. The more he begged them, the more they found pleasure in torturing a thirteen year old. So, why would he listen to her and stop?
He placed the tip of his manhood on her opening, ready to go inside of her. But suddenly, it felt as if the heat of his anger quenched. He couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to thrust into her no matter how much he tried to. But why? She was nothing but an enemy's daughter. Why couldn't he make her feel a tiny fraction of the pain her father caused him?
Letting go of her, he put on his robe and walked out of the room without glancing back at her. At this point, she must have thought something was wrong with her. But the truth was that he couldn't harm her that way. He couldn't defile her out of hatred.
****
I sat on the floor, hugging my knees. I didn't know how long I had been sitting like that, but it was the only thing that kept me sane.
I felt everything at once. Fear, anger and confusion. Fear because I wasn't safe. Just because he stopped a few hours ago didn't mean he always would. Anger because I felt powerless, reduced to nothing each time he pinned me down and treated me like a doll. And confused because…
A tear slid down my cheek as the sound of the down startled me. Then, a voice I never expected spoke.
"Anna…"
I looked up. It couldn't be real. Maybe I had fallen asleep and was dreaming about Katie standing in front of me.
But it was her.
She rushed over and pulled me into a tight hug. "Oh my God, Anna," she whispered.
"Katie…" I said, my voice trembling as I hugged her back. "Is this really you?"
"Of course, it's me." She pulled away, her worried eyes scanning my face. "What have they done to you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine…"
"Don't lie to me," she snapped gently. "You look awful. Have you ever been eating?"
I gave her a weak smile and nodded my head, though she didn't look convinced.
"What are you doing here? How did you find me?" I asked.
She sat on the edge of the bed, now I could see her clearly, the dark circles under her eyes as though she hadn't slept for a long time.
"I met your… husband," she said quietly. "I begged him to let me see you."
Alexander? I wanted to ask how she managed that, but the disappointment on her face stopped me.
"You got married and you didn't tell anyone? Do you know how I felt when Claudia told me you were missing? I thought I lost you forever."
"I'm sorry… It happened so fast. I didn't even have a chance."
She frowned. "What happened?"
I told her everything. From the beginning to the ending without missing a part.
When I was done, her face darkened. "He tried to rape you? Are you serious?"
"Yes…" I nodded.
Her face twisted with disgust.
"He changed so much. I can't believe he attempted such a thing."
I blinked, confused. "You know him?"
"Yeah… a long time ago. But he didn't recognize me."
"How did you know him?" I pressed.
She shook her head, suddenly looking sad that I thought she might cry. "It's a long story. I will tell you later. Right now, we need to focus on you."
I wanted to push for more, but decided to let it go. Having her here was enough.
"Katie," I called hesitantly. "I need something."
"Anything," she said quickly. "Do you need food? Tell me what you want, I will get it for you."
I bit my lips, unsure of how to say it. "I need… birth control pills."
Katie's eyes widened. "Did he…"
"No," I interrupted. "He stopped himself doesn't mean he would always do, and I can't let that happen. I can't…" My voice faltered. The thought of having his child that way was unbearable.
Katie nodded firmly. "I will get it for you."
She stood up and straightened her dress. "Now, take a bath and get dressed. We're going out. I saw him leaving the house, so we're clear for now."